Wickenburg is only a half an hour northwest of Phoenix on highway 60 but you need to be there before 8:30 on Saturday morning so you can join the group. Watch for the sign for The Hassayampa River Preserve on the west side of the road.

Take along a picnic lunch and enjoy the outing close by the Hassayampa River this Saturday.

Join us on the 12^th of February for a Petroglyph Discovery hike on the Javelina Trail in Beverly Canyon.  This interpretive hike will be led by an experienced guide from the Pueblo Grande Museum in Phoenix.  The Javelina Trail is described as moderate and the hike will be about three miles long and will last close to three hours. 

The hike will be in Phoenix in the South Mountain Park which is the largest urban park in the US.

It consists of approximately 17,000 acres and has many interesting trails and lots of petroglyphs. There will be a lot of great photo ops along the way and you may even see some wildlife along the trail.  Directions for the place to join the hikers in Beverly Canyon can be found by calling the Pueblo Grande Museum or by signing up with the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department at their web site: http://phoenix.gov/recreation/arts/museums/pueblo/calendar/index.html

The fee for joining the hike on February 12 will be $8.00 and please remember there is no water in Beverly Canyon so be sure to bring water and sun screen. Space is limited so register now and don’t miss out on this Petroglyph Discovery Hike led by an experienced guide.

On Saturday the 9th of October there will be a guided hike into Box Canyon in South Mountain. If you are interested in this hiking opportunity contact the Pueblo Grande Museum at 602-495-0901 or go to the web site at www.pueblogrande.com. The cost is only $8.00 and you should register in advance so they will know how many people to expect. You’ll need to bring along a supply of water, sun screen, comfortable walking shoes and don’t forget your camera. The trail will cover approximately 3 miles in a three hour time span. Your guide will have information about the plants and animals in the area and will introduce you to the ancient petroglyphs that were left on the surface of the rocks along the trails where you will be hiking.
Hope to see you there.

This area is very scenic and you should plan to spend several hours and have a picnic in the covered ramada. There are restrooms available and a store where you can purchase souveniers and some picnic items. Pets are not allowed on the trails.
The park is usually open in the summer months from 8am to 7 pm and is located about 12 miles north of Payson.

English teacher Ann Bonar listened.

“They got me thinking about it, and about getting healthier, and for my whole family, not just for me,” Bonar said.

She and her husband Scott wanted to lose some weight. As the father and step-mom of two girls, ages 11 and 12, the couple wanted “our kids to see us leading a healthy lifestyle.”

They made a New Year’s resolution, and started following a Weight Watchers plan, counting points every day. “We were super, super strict with ourselves for those first six months,” she said.

And they’d walk, aiming for at least 10,000 steps a day.

From January through July, Ann Bonar lost 35 pounds. Scott, a professor at the University of Arizona, shed 30. They’ve kept it off, too. “Once you get all that ugly food out of your system, it makes you feel yucky when you start eating it again,” she said.

The weight loss really kicked in with daily hikes at the nearby Linda Vista Trail below Pusch Ridge. “It’s fantastic,” Ann said. “We’re both avid hikers. That really has helped us.” Hiking pushed Ann over 10,000 daily steps. And she’s stuck with it.

“I’m not super skinny by any means, but I’m fit, and I can maintain a level of activity that’s good for me,” Ann said. “I feel so much better. My knees don’t hurt as much as they did, and I have more energy throughout the day. I’m not completely exhausted by the time I teach my last class. We both feel so much better now.”

It wasn’t hard to do, she said. “It’s hard when the weather’s been bad,” as with recent rains, Ann said. “I don’t like the gym, I hate running, and machines. You can always find a place to walk, and the hiking is fantastic.” It’s important to “find something you enjoy.”

The girls have grown to “like a lot of the food we’re eating, and the kids have also gotten healthier,” Ann said.

“Ann is a great example, a great role model,” Bob Oro said. “Everybody in their own way will find their way. There’ll be a lot more.”

This article was published by ExplorerNews.com of Marana and Tucson

Arizona Outdoor and Travel Club
P.O. Box 5465
Scottsdale, AZ 85261
www.azotc.com

Backcountry Hiking Club
The Backcountry Hiking Club is a volunteer-run organization. Members lead groups on hikes in the Phoenix area as well as greater Arizona, typically over the weekends. Hikes generally range anywhere between five and 13 miles and have varying elevation changes and levels of difficulty. The group leaders are from all walks of life: young, old, single, married, men and women. The hikes are open to all, though not usually designed for children.

www.backcountryhikingclub.org
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Kay Hammer has been a freelance writer since 2009. She has a B.S. in Retailing and Consumer Sciences from the University of Arizona and an M.A. in Environmental Leadership from Naropa University. She has written for various publications through school such as the Turning Leaf and Demand Studios such as Golf Link.

Luckily there are a number of great places to look for information about hiking or trekking as it is called by many people.  If you have an idea about where you would like to start your journey then the first place to look is the internet.  You’ll be surprised at the number of hiking videos that can be found on sites that allow you to upload pictures and videos.  Youtube is a great source of videos that cover trails in many specific locations.  You’ll find all the information you need about trails in various cities and many well known locations throughout the country.                                                                       

You may want to make a stop at the local book store and check out magazines that are dedicated to hiking in your specific location.  They will give you the locations of trails and good descriptions of the actual route.  They will tell you how long trails will be and what level of competence you will need to complete the hike you have chosen.

Another place you can try will be local recreation centers. You can find plenty of information to help you decide where to hike and there is always the possibility of meeting others who may have the same ideas about outdoor activities as you have.

Many cities and towns will have a parks department that can give you a list of upcoming activities and even the names of some of the local hiking clubs.  Don’t forget to drop in to the local museums which usually sponsor field trips and hikes into the local areas of interest.

• You’ll save lots of time if you use the internet
• You’ll get loads of local information from hiking magazines
• Parks and Recreation centers will have descriptions and ratings of trails that are nearby
• Museums can help you with sponsored excursions that will usually give you a background into what ever subject they are concerned with.

If you decide to go online with your search you can save loads of time and energy because the information is attainable with just a few key strokes.  You won’t spend your valuable time running all over the country hunting for that perfect place to spend your day.

Hiking magazines can usually be found that are location specific and will give lots of good descriptions of trails in your town or in your locale.

If you stop into local parks and recreation departments they can usually give you accurate information about  trails and hiking groups they sponsor.  They will have a list of events for the upcoming month or so and you can sign up to join any interesting hikes that may satisfy your interests.

Museums can give you an opportunity to join in on excursions that include a variety of different activities.  They normally charge a small fee and provide a guide.  I have gone on museum sponsored hikes that included transportation and snacks and were really a lot of fun. 

Be sure to let us know where you find the best informtion on hiking in your area.

Now that you have made up you mind to do some trekking all you have to do is arm your self with a few supplies and a little information about trails that are at hand.  Hiking can be on urban trails or they can be out in the country.  They can be easy hikes or strenuous ones that take you up the sides of mountains.  Now that you have the information you can decide what hiking trails will be best for you.

Be sure to let us know about the best sources you find for information on hiking near you.           
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